The Children
by chibi heishi
Summary: *AU* There is something wrong in Konoha. Subtle, seemingly isolated events hint at a much darker truth, if the pieces were ever put together. And as Iruka is about to discover, not all the inexperienced are naive - while not all children are innocent.
1. Prologue: Ignorance

**A/N:** Okay, as you may have guessed from the length between updates, Zanzou is giving me trouble right now. So I'm working on this little piece while I try and sort out that one. This was actually partially written years ago when I was much younger, but I'm pulling it out and touching it up to keep writing. So if it kinda sucks, that's b/c I was about 15 when I started it.

Finally, yes, this prologue is _meant_ to be fragmented. It's showing little patches of trouble - and the 'ignorance' of the majority of Konoha. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer/Rating/Warnings:** You will probably never see this anywhere except on ff net, therefore, I clearly don't own Naruto. Rated T for language and violence (really, can you imagine a multi-chaptered Naruto story without violence? They're _shinobi_, fer cryin' out loud!).

**Note:** This ---- shows a scene change. This -- shows a POV change within the scene.

* * *

_February, 10 years ago_

The woman slid back, kunai held tightly as she faced her opponent, willing away the tears that tried to cloud her vision. She was _shinobi_, damn it, and she would _not_ let personal feelings get in the way of what she had to do. She would protect her village… even from her husband. It was her duty, her responsibility to protect her people from… whatever it was he was up to.

Standing on the roof of their home, she watched the man in front of her, barely able to believe that this cold-eyed person was the same warm man she had fallen in love with ten years ago.

"Mama?" a small voice called out, and the woman's heart froze. She risked a quick glance aside, to the little girl climbing up from the roof access hatch. Only eight, still learning the most basic of ninja skills, the child couldn't possibly stand against her father. The child shouldn't have to.

The man lifted one of his kunai into a throwing position and the woman reacted instinctively. She dashed, snatching her baby out of harm's way. Leaping across to the nearest rooftop, she stood at the edge and shoved her daughter behind her. "Go" she commanded. "Get the neighbors. Your father… your father is…"

"A traitor?" the girl asked softly, still hidden safely behind her mother. The woman nodded, narrowing her eyes as a smirk appeared on the face of her husband. Then those eyes widened as she heard the softly whispered "I know" at the same instant that she felt small hands shove hard against her back.

She had no chance. Balanced on the edge already, her mind going blank at the double betrayal, all she could do was fall. Even so, she might have been able to get up and fight on. She might have… had she not struck the ground at a twisted angle, breaking her spine on impact.

--

The nurse looked up as a child barged into the hospital, tears running down her face. "Please," she begged. "Please, my mom… she was helping me practice… she fell."

A medical team was immediately sent out, but when they arrived, one look at the face of the man kneeling beside the broken body of the woman told them all they needed to know.

A funeral was held, many coming to honor a loyal comrade taken by an unfortunate accident.

----

_December, 8 years ago_

The kunoichi listened patiently, a small smile on her lips as her squadmate spoke passionately about loyalty and the Will of Fire. Inside, she was laughing at the fool. _'Will of Fire, ha' _she thought. _'Loyalty? To a Village that suffers – and __**protects!**__ – a monster like that demon-child?! The Hokage is clearly senile – and Konoha has gone mad if they so eagerly follow him. __**They **__were right; this Village needs to go down. If only there were enough of us…'_

----

_July, 6 years ago_

The man listened patiently as the others spoke in their turn. Each 'leader' gave their reports, from a new convert to the elimination of a potential threat. Finally his attention was drawn to the last speaker. "So with my acceptance into the ranks of the Academy, I will be in a prime position to recruit Konoha's children. It will take years, but we knew that already. And in time, Konoha will fall from within."

----

_August, 5 years ago_

Footsteps raced lightly through the trees. Short, sharp gasps echoed in the unnatural silence as overworked lungs fought for air. Dark eyes flicked frantically, vainly trying to find some small amount of moonlight with which to see a path. _'Have to…make it back_' the ninja thought, desperately trying to clear his mind as panic threatened to overwhelm him once again. _'Shit, which way? Where am I? And where is Hana? Did they get her? Oh, God, which way is the village? I have to tell them…they have to know…'_

A small sound, almost unnoticed even in the silence caused him to begin to spin around. Moeru Teraka, twelve year old rookie genin of the Hidden Leaf village, never saw the blow that killed him.

--

The shinobi pair stationed at the gates of the Leaf village perked up as they heard footsteps thunder towards them. "Hey" a young voice called out, preceding the boy it belonged to by only a few seconds. "Sensei said" _huff huff_, "Sensei said to get everyone together. The others went to get firewood hours ago, but they haven't come back. We can't find Moeru Teraka or Inuzuka Hana!"

--

The entire village rallied to search, but they could not find a trace of the missing children.


	2. Helplessness

**A/N:** Another short chapter, but I'm still setting the scene. Anyway, thanks go out to: _**iNsAnE nO bAkA, InARealPickle, DarkRavie, The Laughing Phoenix, Auphora66, Tara La'Quinn, x-smith, Rangerfan58 **_and _**QuietInsomniac**_.

Naruto's world is owned by some rich Japanese guy. I am, unfortunately, poor – not to mention American and female. Therefore, I obviously don't own Naruto.

**Note:** This ---- shows a scene change. This - shows a POV change within the scene. This _: sdf : _is a flashback.

* * *

_August, 4 years ago_

Obsidian eyes opened slowly. A nose scrunched up momentarily as the eyes squeezed closed, fighting to stay asleep for just a little longer. No such luck. Footsteps rang outside the door, a woman's voice calling out. "Sasuke-chan, wake up. You don't want to be late for your first day, do you?"

The eyes opened again. The covers pushed back revealing a child of seven years. The boy shook unruly black hair out of his face and looked at the closed door, quickly blinking back the tears his traitorous eyes wanted to shed. _'Yes'_ he thought desperately. _'Yes I want to be late. I don't want to go at all…It isn't safe.'_

----

The man stared out the window, and reflected brown eyes stared back. Black strands of hair, escaping from his short ponytail, brushed against the glass as he leaned his forehead against it. He sighed, one hand reaching up to rub at the scar across the bridge of his nose.

Umino Iruka watched the would-be ninjas play, but the sight did not bring a smile to his face as it usually did. The new class, the ones who just had their first day, they were alright. But the others… Something about the way they gathered…

Children always formed groups; cliques and clubs. There were always children who sat alone, always kids who didn't belong, but this time… Something about the way the insiders – and it seemed there were a lot more of them this year – watched the others disturbed him.

He had tried earlier to relax, close his eyes and clear his mind. Once that was done, the teacher had asked himself what was wrong. The first thing that had crossed his mind was strange, disturbing, ridiculous. And it wouldn't go away. He just could not shake the thought… there was something wrong with the children.

----

Uzumaki Naruto glanced around in confusion. He couldn't understand. Why were so many of the older kids ignoring… well, not him – everybody ignored _him_ – but all his group? The seven year old crossed his arms and pursed his lips. Spotting one of his classmates hiding at the edge of the playground, he marched over and planted himself in from of a taller boy. The other's black eyes widened in surprise as Naruto stuck out his hand. "Hi, I'm Naruto. Who're you?"

The other boy blinked in shock, almost stumbling over his words. "I'm, uh, I'm… I'm Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."

"Hi, Sasuke-kun. What's going on? How come nobody's talking to us? Our group's okay, but everybody else… It's like… like if they don't already know you, they won't talk to you. And how come you're not trying to talk to anybody?"

The other boy's face paled. His eyes quickly darted around, making sure that no one was paying attention to them. "Don't!" he hissed, fear lacing through his voice. "Just… just don't. I… If… If you don't…ah…Don't ask, okay? Leave it alone - leave _them_ alone."

Naruto stared, the other boy's obvious fear sending chills down his spine. "Um, okay."

-

Lazy brown eyes peeked from beneath half-closed lids; roamed aimlessly over the playground. Or at least, it seemed aimless. But then, Nara Shikamaru had worked hard to look lazy, had made a point of watching the so-called 'laziest ninja in Konoha' – one silver haired Jounin – for months in order to get that half asleep expression just right. In reality, the boy's sharp mind was quickly and efficiently noting every small detail he could.

His father had forced him into the Academy a year early, stating that 'a sharp mind shouldn't be left idle' but it hadn't taken him long to realize that there was something… _off_ about some of his classmates. They seemed… _sharper_, somehow, than felt right. He couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was, but something in the Academy disturbed him on an almost instinctual level – and that had sparked a level of paranoia typically only seen in senior Jounin. Or ANBU. There was nothing that Shikamaru could _say_, but he kept his mouth shut and his eyes open – and perfected the art of deceptive relaxation.

Another visual sweep of the playground, and his gaze lingered for an instant on the two freshmen off to the side. He noticed the tension in the Uchiha boy's posture, the wide eyes. _'Scared. He knows. Or at least, he suspects. Hn, wonder how?'_ He glanced over to the blond haired one beside him. _'Tense, a little. Head tilted a touch to the side, eyes narrowed. Confused. He knows the other's scared, but he doesn't know why. I'll have to keep an eye on those two. At the least, I'll talk to __**her**__ about it.'_

Shikamaru heard his name called and made a show of reluctance before finally rolling off of the picnic table he had been laying on and giving his teacher an obligatory wave. He shoved his hands in his pockets, hanging his head as he slouched off to rejoin his class – but he firmly fixed the two boy's faces in his mind. He was definitely going to have to have a word with the taller of the pair, at least.

----

Naruto bounced up to the blackboard and threw the class an arrogant grin as he picked up the chalk. The rule he'd been asked to state was easy. Writing it down, he gave the teacher a bright smile. He knew he had answered right.

Class had been in for nearly three months now, and Naruto took every chance he got to shine. The boy basked in the praise of their teachers, even if his black eyes and S-shaped scar on the right side of his third period teacher's face _did_ make him look scary. So what if his smile was more of a smirk, or if his black hair hid his eyes half the time? He was teaching them to be shinobi, and this ninja stuff was _fun_!

He constantly fussed at Sasuke; he knew that the taller boy wasn't doing his best. For some reason, Sasuke-kun seemed to be afraid of attracting attention. He was nearly terrified of the teacher and the older students, which was silly. Shinobi didn't fear their enemies, much less each other!

-

Sasuke felt his heart skip a beat as Naruto smiled. His friend was bright, bold and athletic. He was just like _him_, and he didn't seem to understand just how bad that was. The teacher's aide, a warm young man with a shy smile, gave Naruto a thumb's up sign when he read his answer. The teacher gave the boy a nod and a 'smile', but his eyes followed him, lingering with a strange gleam when he sat back down. Ohh, Sasuke did _not_ like this. Not at all.

: _'Don't trust them, little brother' Itachi had warned, his usually calm features tense. 'Something isn't right, and I'm going to find out what. But until then… don't trust anyone, alright? Especially not at school – whatever is going on seems to center around the young. Just lay low and keep to yourself, don't draw their eyes. Stay safe, until I can figure out what's happening.'_ :

Sasuke shivered, pain and fear clashing inside of him. That night, Itachi had been so serious, so… so _scared_. It had been the only time he had ever seen his beloved brother anything less than calm and confident. It had also been the last time he had seen him at all.


	3. Helplessness, part 2

**A/N:** Okay, guys. Last school-focused chapter, promise. And there's a time skip after this, cause I just can't wrap my mind around a believable way for the seven year olds that they are now doing what I need them to. They're not Kakashi. As it is, I think I've probably pushed it a bit already. Anyway, thanks go out to: _**Sarcastic Tofu, jolteonforever, QuietInsomniac, Auphora66, InARealPickle, World's Neighbor, Rangerfan58, iNsAnE nO bAkA, DarkRavie, The Laughing Phoenix, x-smith **__and__** WhyMustIWrite**_.

Naruto's world is owned by some rich Japanese guy. I am, unfortunately, poor – not to mention American and female. Therefore, I obviously don't own Naruto.

* * *

_December, 4 years ago_

The girl ran blindly down the moonlit walkways. Tears in her eyes, sobs choking a throat that already could not draw in enough breath, she ran. She knew not to scream. No point wasting what little breath she had on a cry no one would hear. After all, hadn't _he_ cast that silencing jutsu?

The nine year old turned a corner, slipping and falling to the ground in her haste. _'No'_ she thought. _'No… no… nonononono…'_ She scrambled to her knees, jumped to her feet…and felt a hand wrap around her elbow. She gasped as her momentum made her swing towards her captor. Then a sharp, burning pain in her gut stole the air she had just drawn in.

The hand let go, and the girl slid once more to her knees. Her small hands went to her belly, trying uselessly to stop the flow of blood – of life. The pain was intense, but worse was the breaking of her heart. She looked up at her killer, hot tears streaming down her face. The blood bubbled up in her throat, choking her with its' thick coppery taste, but she felt the jutsu break, and forced out the words she had wanted to scream since the chase began.

"Why" she whispered, as the life faded from her bright eyes. "Why, brother?"

-

The eight year old boy looked down at her, sorrow briefly flitting across his eyes. "Because," he answered, the sorrow disappearing as if it had never been. "He said you wouldn't join us. Now that you know, he wouldn't be happy if I let you live. Nothing personal, but…goodbye, sister."

Unknown to the boy, another young girl stood horrified in a shadowed doorway, leaning breathlessly against the connecting corner. One small, trembling hand hovered in midair, reaching out in a helpless, futile gesture as an agonized scream caught silently in her throat. The wide-eyed girl didn't even blink as the boy walked away from the body of the child, didn't flinch as her legs gave out, spilling her to the floor. She only stared, unseeing, at the blood slowly spreading to where she lay bonelessly against the wall.

-

The man knelt beside his trembling daughter. He wrapped the girl in his arms, hiding the child's face in his shoulder to allow encourage the child to cry. But the little girl stood silent, wide blue eyes still blank. It seemed that a quarter of the Village – and of course, the entire Clan – had turned up at the funeral to pay their respects to the nine year old girl who had inexplicably taken her own life, but the man was far more concerned with the shock numbing the mind of the little girl in his arms.

He had found her on the porch that horrible morning, staring blindly at the still body of her older cousin. He had bundled her up, taken her away immediately, and had carefully shielded the child's involvement from the Clan Elders. He did not think that she could bear to be questioned, and so he had told no one that she had not been in her bed. The little one must have witnessed the death, and it had clearly shaken her to the depths of her gentle soul.

"Please" the man murmured, kinder with her than he had been in years. "Please, talk to us. Say _something_, Hinata."

----

Iruka fought the urge to cry. Little Hyuuga Hinata had returned to school after a two-week absence, but her father had warned the girl's homeroom teacher. Hinata had not spoken a single word since her cousin's death, and was even more timid than she had been before. All of the Academy first-year teachers had held a conference on the matter, carefully discussing ways of trying to include the little girl in classes – hopefully draw her out of the mental shell she had retreated behind – without putting too much pressure on the delicate child. They wanted to give her the chance to come out of it before deciding that she was unfit for the shinobi lifestyle.

During the morning class, Iruka had watched the girl as closely as he could without being obvious about it, and she had broken his heart. There was a light glaze in the girl's eyes, showing that much of her mind was still elsewhere. She responded well enough, completing her work as quickly as she always had, and she followed the simple commands given to the class, but… she flinched away from others, putting herself in the farthest corner of the room that she could manage.

Even now, with all the children out for recess, Hinata sat in the curve of the fence surrounding the weapons yard. A small part of the Chunin's mind noticed that the girl always had her back against something now, almost a defensive posture, but he brushed the thought away. She was probably feeling that she needed something to lean against.

Though at least the other children were finally acting normally.

-

Sasuke sighed, standing up abruptly. While it made him feel slightly lightheaded for a second, it had the benefit of shutting up Naruto's rambling. "If you're that worried, I'll go talk to her, okay?" he muttered, his tone dangerously close to sulking.

Naruto blinked, but then a wide, beaming smile lit up his face. "Okay!" he chirped. The blond had tried to talk to Hinata-chan himself, but the quiet girl had practically cowered, slamming her eyes shut and curling into herself when Naruto had come bounding up to her. Naruto may not have been the smartest kid in class, but even he knew that he could come on a little strong sometimes. Heaven knew that Sasuke-kun and Iruka-Sensei had told him so often enough. But…

_'But Sasuke-kun's quieter, so maybe she won't be… scared… of him. I hope so. She's nice; I hate seeing her so… so messed up. I wanna know what's wrong; I wanna fix it. She shouldn't look like that.'_ The blond watched eagerly, worry and anticipation mixing in his blue eyes as his darker friend approached the little girl curled against the fence.

The taller boy didn't seem to say anything, just sat down against the fence a few steps away from the Hyuuga heiress.

Naruto scowled. _'What does he think he's doing?! He's supposed to talk to her, not take a nap!'_ But... but after a minute or two, Hinata _relaxed_. Just a little, but still… the girl was less tense than she had been all day.

Hearing someone call his name – he'd made some _friends_ since coming to the Academy, though Sasuke-kun was his _best_ friend, of course – the blond glanced over to where a classmate was waving for him to join their game. Naruto hesitated, looking back over at the pair leaning against the fence, but then he decided to give them some space. _'Hinata-chan probably doesn't need me staring at her'_ he reasoned, _'so I'll leave 'em alone and just grill Sasuke-kun later. Besides, it looks like they could be there a while.'_

Catching his friend's eyes, Naruto jerked his chin towards the group across the playground. An acknowledging nod later, and Naruto flashed a bright grin before turning to dash across the yard towards the others.

-

Dark eyes flicked quickly over the playground, subtly studying a number of the children gathered there. Lips quirked in a cruel smile, hidden behind the book opened in front of him. _'They're doing well'_ the man thought, his eyes lingering on some of the older students. _'They've gotten the hang of hiding the extent of their skill, of appearing to be at the same level as their oblivious compatriots. And they finally understand that they cannot be so exclusive; that they must be friendly if they are to draw others to our cause. Good, very good. Hm, children are so easily manipulated.'_

-

Brown eyes watched the loudmouthed blond dart across the yard, and Shikamaru took a slow, deep breath. His class finally had recess with the first years again, and the loud boy had finally left his quiet friend's side. It wouldn't do for the volatile blond to get upset and shout anything concerning what he needed to talk to Uchiha-kun about. And the girl… he'd seen her flinch away from the blond boy, and had watched her place herself carefully against the wall. Even the way she sat – on her knees, feet tucked underneath her – left her able to jump up or move quickly if she needed to. She might be worth talking to as well.

Levering himself up from his chosen lounging spot, the Nara heir made his slow, seemingly ambling way towards the two children leaning against the fence. Stopping near the boy, Shika leaned against the fence, his gaze locked on the clouds floating far above them. The boy beside him never moved, but he could _feel_ a sharp gaze locked on him. He fought the sudden urge to smirk. _'Well. Either he really __**is**__ as anti-social as they say, or he knows __**something**__.'_

Shikamaru decided to take a chance. "So" he murmured, sliding down to sit between the two freshmen. "You're scared of them too, aren't you?" On either side of him, eyes widened and snapped around to stare incredulously. _'Yep. They know something. That could make this… a little less troublesome.'_


	4. Difference

**A/N:** Okay, **format change**. From now on, chapters are going to alternate between the 'present' and the 'past'. That way you get to see how things got to where they are, as well as where they go. (and I'm too lazy to make this fic long enough to stretch over the years it takes place in.) This one's in the 'present'. Anyway, thanks go out to: _**jolteonforever, QuietInsomniac, World's Neighbor, Rangerfan58, iNsAnE nO bAkA, DarkRavie, Brown Eggs and Green Ham, jazzy2may **__and__** WhyMustIWrite**_.

Naruto's world is owned by some rich Japanese guy. I am, unfortunately, poor – not to mention American and female. Therefore, I obviously don't own Naruto.

* * *

Blue eyes watched carefully. Her 'siblings' were nearby, the girl knew, but that didn't mean that they could save her if her target realized that she was there. Still, the risk needed to be taken. Hinata unconsciously chewed on her lower lip as she worried, gaze flicking from window to window of the little house before her.

Her father wouldn't particularly care, she knew – the man had long ago seemed to run out of patience for his timid eldest child – but others in the Clan would notice if she came in late at night too often. And _he_ was one of the worst. _That boy_ had taken to watching her closely. _He_ was ever so polite, never a breath or a toe out of line – the Clan Elders loved _him_, were constantly holding _him_ up as the shining example of what a Hyuuga should be. But every time she looked at _him_, all Hinata could do was wonder if _he_ was secretly laughing at the blindness running rampant through a Clan which prided itself on its' vision.

Giving a tiny huff of air, the eleven year old dragged her attention back to where it belonged. A slender hand rose slowly, fingers forming a simple seal taught to her since birth. Those blue eyes sharpened, vision shifting until she saw the world in shades of grey broken only by the bright blue sparkle of chakra. She held her breath, hoping desperately that her target had not noticed the short spike of energy, and feeling as if the thundering of her pulse should be audible for miles around.

After an endless moment, Hinata released a cautious breath, a little of the tension easing out of her shoulders. Hidden deeply in the low bushes scattered throughout the property, Hinata leaned forward as she focused her sight to look through the walls in front of her. Suspicions had been raised, and the loyalty of the family in residence needed to be determined, if they could. Unfortunately, while they could, sometimes, peg someone as one of _them_… it was impossible to clear someone completely of suspicion.

Still, better to know for certain that a person in question was definitely an enemy – as careful as they had to be anyway, they had to be absolutely paranoid around those that they _knew_ were hostile.

Therefore, surveillance was a cornerstone of their information network. The Byakugan was an invaluable tool for that, and one of the only things that she would thank her family for, but… but possessing it tended to put Hinata in the direct line of fire, making it only natural to assign her the dangerous task of close surveillance on those suspected of harboring treason against her Village.

-

Motion in one of the windows drew her eye, and the blonde leaned slightly towards the house she was watching. Focusing carefully, she searched the part of the room visible to her until she identified the younger daughter of the family. The girl was tiny, only two or three years old, and happily dragging her stuffed… something… through the house. Ino noted the child and smiled. It was a slow, surprisingly wicked expression on those pretty, delicate features.

Reaching blindly into the pocket of her grey jacket, Ino clicked the 'talk' function of her two-way radio – a glorified walkie-talkie, actually, but hey, they made do with what they had – and carefully brushed her thumb over the mike. Flicking it back off, the girl withdrew her hand, fingers already flying through a familiar set of signs even as her eyes never left the child.

An odd sensation of _twisting_ and _stretching_, the familiar feeling of falling, of flying, and Ino blinked, a little disoriented for the briefest moment. And then she smiled again, shifting to hide the expression in the fur of the toy in her arms. Now brown eyes peered curiously at the tiny fingers, taking a hesitant step or two, letting herself become accustomed to how the new body moved. Ino had grown accustomed to possessing small children, and this time she was pleasantly surprised – the toddler was surprisingly well balanced for her age.

The Academy student spared a heartbeat to think that the little one she was possessing would probably make a good kunoichi one day – but then she returned her attention to her mission. Ino _loved_ it when there were toddlers in the house. The babies were big enough to provide her a way to look around, but too small for _them_ to bother corrupting. Small children don't know how to keep a secret, after all, so just about anyone under the age of five or six could be safely dismissed from suspicion. The parents and sister, however, were another story.

She knew the mother was gone, both parents were Chunin and the woman was away on a mission with her team. Sasuke – and a borrowed Akamaru – would signal from the gates if they came back early. That left the father and the teenage daughter. Shikamaru thought that the teen was the most likely, since _they_ mainly focused on recruiting the younger generation, but Ino disagreed. She thought that the older daughter may be, but she was sure that the father was one of _them_. Her gut instinct told her so, and thus far, her gut had proven to be surprisingly accurate. Now it was time to try and find out for sure.

Plastering a wide, beaming grin on her borrowed little face, Ino set off to find 'Daddy', toddling as quickly as her now-short legs would carry her.

-

The 'click' of the radio caught his attention, and Kiba instantly tuned a part of his mind to the small device. A quiet boom sounded, as if someone had gently tapped a blunt fingernail against the mic, and then a rustling sound, as if that same finger had then slid across the plastic. Kiba scowled, but obediently moved to go and check on his blonde friend.

Kiba may have been the powerhouse of this particular group, but on a surveillance run, Hinata was queen. Her eyes gave her an unmatchable advantage, so if she said that there was trouble… Kiba moved faster. Around the west side of the house, the light breeze had picked up, and was now a decent wind. The tracker's face paled as he realized that his teammate must have chosen one of the trees to hide in. And with the mentalist currently out of her body…

A particularly hard gust of wind shifted the trees more quickly, and Kiba bit back a curse as he saw a flash of blonde hair begin to slide sideways. The boy broke cover, hoping against hope that he wouldn't be seen as he dashed to catch his mentally-absent friend before her body fell.

-

Hinata slowly released her breath. The man she watched returned to his table, settling back to his paperwork but not quite dismissing the thump he had heard outside. The man kept glancing towards the window. Ino had almost fallen out of the tree she had chosen as her vantage point, and Hinata had been sure that the noise Kiba had made catching the girl would be the death of them. She moved carefully until she got within the sight of her 'brother' and subtly signaled for a retreat. That had been too close. Besides, the man was on guard now; they would have to watch another night.

----

Sasuke cursed, anger and fierce determination shining in his eyes. He impatiently tossed black hair out of his face, and glared once more at the kunai buried to their hilts in their targets. Eight targets, each the size of his palm, set up at various angles and heights. Seven targets held a kunai in the exact center. One target had a kunai just a fraction of an inch away from the center. The one target hidden behind a tree, where he had had to bounce his kunai off of one tree and the ground in order to hit it.

Still… he had to get this right! He couldn't afford for his aim to be less than perfect. Itachi's aim had been perfect and someone had still neutralized the young ANBU Captain. Not that they'd ever found a body, but Sasuke _knew_ that his older brother would never have willingly left him alone in such a hostile environment. And last night…

If a fight had broken out, if he had needed to go back up his 'siblings'… The boy narrowed his eyes, mentally replaying and analyzing every minute motion he had made. Then he smirked, an expression that should have been out of place in the pale, narrow face. "I see" he muttered. "That's what I did." He never got the chance to re-try the complicated jumping throw, however, as a commotion attracted his attention. '_Right on schedule'_ Sasuke thought as Naruto came barreling over the hill.

"You JERK!" the blond shouted as he drew near. "You're LATE!" The shorter boy stopped, arms crossing irritably in front of him as he glared. "We were SUPPOSED to meet for lunch, Sasuke. You promised. Now come on – you need to get out more. Believe it or not, there's actually more to life than training!" The blond huffed before muttering in a low, irritated voice. "Besides, it's not like you ever _show_ anybody how good you've gotten. I still can't believe that you slack of so much in class! I mean, _come __**on**_! If I was as good as you, I'd _totally_ be the number one student in class! Not that Shino jerk."

Sasuke smiled fondly, the expression tinged with sadness as he listened to his best friend go off on one of his favorite rants. _'Shika was right, all those years ago.'_ he thought, watching the excitable blond gesture with his hands as he fussed. _'…God, this is killing me, keeping everything from him, but… Naruto really wouldn't have been able to keep a secret like this. Heh, he'd have probably marched right up to one of the murderers and demanded to know just who the hell they thought they were. But… at least __**they**__ haven't tried to recruit him. Honestly… they probably also realized that the loudmouth can't be quiet to save his life.'_

The sadness was replaced by a small but genuine smile as he straightened out of the crouch he had been in and nodded to the other boy. "Okay, Naruto. Help me pick up my blades, and then I'll come to lunch."

-

As Sasuke turned away, Naruto's expression shifted. His smile faded, replaced with an old sadness that, had either of them known it, matched the one the Uchiha had worn just a moment ago.

Bright blue eyes studied his friend's profile, his surprisingly sharp mind noting the weariness in his gaze, the slight dragging of the taller boy's muscles. Sasuke was tired – not just the physical weariness expected after a hard training session, but a mental and emotional exhaustion that worried his cheerful best friend. Sasuke was keeping secrets – had been keeping them for years – and it was obvious, at least to Naruto, that those secrets were wearing away at the quiet boy.

'_But Sasuke won't share them with me.'_ Naruto thought with a pang of hurt. _'Why won't he let me help him? I know he __**likes**__ me, but… why won't he __**trust**__ me?'_ Naruto gave himself a mental shake, pushing such dreary thoughts away. By the time Sasuke turned back to him, the blond's usual sunny grin was firmly back in place.

If he couldn't take some of the weight off of Sasuke's shoulders, he figured, then maybe he could at least cheer the other boy into forgetting about it for a little while.


	5. Isolation

**A/N:** Okay, remember, this chapter is in the past. Anyway, thanks go out to: _**InARealPickle, QuietInsomniac, Rangerfan58, iNsAnE nO bAkA, DarkRavie, Brown Eggs and Green Ham **__and__** The Laughing Phoenix**_.

Naruto's world is owned by some rich Japanese guy. I am, unfortunately, poor – not to mention American and female. Therefore, I obviously don't own Naruto.

**Note:** The section set apart by this : mark is another flash-back.

* * *

_May, 3 years ago_

The child clasped small hands over her mouth, stifling her giggles as she leaned eagerly towards the edge of the window. Blue eyes narrowed, locking onto her target – the boy in the window just below and across the street. _'I'm gonna get him!'_ Ino thought, all childish anticipation. _'I'm gonna take him over and make him do something __**dumb**__ – that'll teach him to call __**me**__ a sissy!'_

The eight year old raised slender hands, her brow furrowed in concentration as she very carefully formed the seals her daddy had finally taught her. The little blonde bit back a squeal as she felt the weirdest _twisting_ feeling, and then… then the ground was too far away, and it wasn't her own crossed, skirt-covered legs she was looking down at.

The eleven year old civilian boy she had possessed had thankfully leaned against the wall, or else the little girl would have fallen at the sudden change in her center of gravity. Drawing a steadying breath, the 'boy' looked up, fully prepared to start shouting nonsense and making faces – but then Ino really _noticed_ the other two in the room.

The boy's mother was standing quietly, which was fine. But the little step-sister – one of the First Year Academy students if she remembered right – was crying, sobbing into her step-mother's shirt as she clung to her. Ino froze, mind blanking as all her carefully laid plans went right back out that window.

Finally the younger girl pulled back, raising tear-stained eyes to the adult. "You believe me, right Mom?" the girl – _'Kisa?' _she thought _'yeah, Kisa-chan'_ – asked, her voice trembling. "There's really bad people, and they're here and hiding and… and we've got to _do_ something! _He_ said not to tell, to stay quiet, but… I had to tell you, Mom. I couldn't keep it secret anymore. What do we do, Mom? What do we do?" 

_'Bad people? Hiding? What? What bad people?!'_ Ino thought, utterly confused.

The woman knelt, drawing the frightened girl into her arms and running a hand gently over the child's hair. "Who told you not to tell, Kisa-chan?" she murmured quietly. "Who gave you such an idea? Can you tell me his name, baby?"

The little one shook her head, her face pressed into the adult's shirt once again. "Nuh-uh Mom. I promised. He said… said if I was gonna be stupid, I had to promise not to drag them in it. I can't tell you, Momma, but… but what can I do?"

There was a short moment of silence, and then the woman's voice sounded again, just as soft and low as before. "Then, there's only one thing you can do Kisa. Die." At first the soft words didn't register – until the hand in the child's hair tightened, quickly pulling down and left. The wrenching motion was accompanied by the sound of a loud _crack_, and the child dropped motionless towards the floor. Ino froze, every borrowed muscle locking up in horrified disbelief. The woman stood, the still form of the little girl in her arms, and slanted a look at Ino. "Kai, maybe you should go lay back down, son. I don't think that fever's gone down yet – your face is pale."

'Kai' stood motionless in place as the woman walked out of the room, and then collapsed to the floor as Ino flung herself back to her own body in a panic. There were tears streaming down the child's face as she scrambled awkwardly to her feet, rushing blindly back down the side streets to her house. She slammed through her front door, raced down the hall, shoved her bedroom door open and closed again and flung herself onto her bed.

She was never sure, later, just how long she lay there, curled desperately around her pillow. But finally a sound – a familiar, beloved voice calling her parents' return – broke her out of her shock. Everything crashing down on her at once, Ino screamed, a high, hysterical sound.

Almost instantly, her bedroom door was flung open, wood splintering from the force of the impact against it, and a blond man charged into the room, kunai in each hand. Ino looked at him – at the blades in his hands, the fierce, violent expression on his face – and screamed a second time, scrambling away from him. Hard, cold eyes swept the room, and then warmed, weapons disappearing as if they had never been. The sudden change, had he known it, terrified the child all over again.

A brunette woman glanced around the doorjamb, and then stepped quickly into the room, setting – of all things – a frying pan on the floor as she approached the bed. Inoichi stepped back, letting his wife fold their obviously frightened daughter into her arms, listening as she cooed to the child.

After a moment, he sat on the edge of the bed beside them. "What's wrong, Princess?" he asked quietly, reaching out to smooth one calloused hand over baby-fine blonde locks. He didn't miss the shudder that ran through the girl.

"Nightmare, baby?" his wife asked, watching until Ino nodded silently, almost helplessly.

And all the while, their baby girl stared at them as if they were strangers.

----

The boy moved slowly, a mindless, almost mechanical quality to his gait that resulted in his steps dragging slightly across the ground instead of the smooth glide that he'd long ago picked up from the older shinobi. If anyone had cared enough to bend down – or simply tipped the eight year old's chin up – they would have realized that his brown eyes were glazed, the intelligence in them dulled by shock. Shikamaru's usually brilliant mind was in complete lock-down, unable to process anything beyond the memory that had been looping through his brain ever since the class had been informed that morning of the unfortunate death of their lowerclassman.

_**:**__ "I've __**got**__ to tell her, Shika-kun!" the little girl cried, tears brimming in wide green eyes. "I can't keep this inside – it __**hurts**__ too much! Momma will be able to figure it out, she'll find out what's going on. Then she'll fix it, and we won't have to worry no more! You should've told a grown up when you found out something wasn't right – I don't get why you didn't. But I've got to!" _

_Shikamaru had ground his teeth, frustrated that she couldn't understand the need to have more information before they brought stupid __**feelings**__ to the attention of the adults. They'd be __**laughed**__ at, and then the adults would talk – 'you'll never guess what my kid said today' he could hear it already – and __**that**__ could get them in trouble! "Fine!" he'd finally spit out, irritated beyond the boy's ability to control. "Tell her then, but don't you __**dare**__ tell her about the rest of us, you got it?! No names, Kisa – promise me that!" __**:**_

'_She promised_', he thought dimly. _'She promised… and now she's dead.'_ The boy had been on auto-pilot all morning, and still was as he made his way into his house. He vaguely noticed the larger pair of shoes on the mat beside the front door, but his shock-numbed mind failed to make the connection between the shoes' presence and the return of one of his parents. Though even if he had realized that one of their missions was over, he still wouldn't have been able to prevent the tensing of his muscles when his father called his name.

Shikaku laid one hand on his son's shoulders, noting both the tension and the near-blankness in the boy's eyes. "Shika?" he nearly murmured, his voice soft and low as he cautiously assessed his son's mental and emotional state. The boy blinked a few times, as if he couldn't quite understand the inherent question, but then he shook himself a little.

"It's…" the boy started, but then stopped, his eyes focusing inward as he strung his words together. Had he known it, Shikamaru was surprised to hear himself speak, the words falling thoughtlessly from his lips. "One of the first-years died yesterday" he explained, automatically censoring himself. "They said that she was practicing something, probably how to fall or a jumping roll or… or something… and she hit the ground wrong. Dad… she broke her neck. I just… it was never _real_, before, that… this shinobi stuff… it's dangerous, Dad. It's… really dangerous…" Shikamaru's words trailed off, his voice dropping throughout his explanation as his mind turned inward once again.

The boy shook off his father's concerned hand, muttering something indistinct about homework, and Shikaku could only watch worriedly as the child trudged into his room. The closing of the door was nothing new, but the click of the lock _was_, and the Jounin offered a silent prayer that this tragedy wouldn't damage his son's mindset too badly.

Finally alone, safe in his room with the door locked and the curtains pulled, Shikamaru curled up on his bed, back leaning against his headboard. At his father's touch, his mind had finally broken out of the loop it had been trapped in all day, and now his thoughts were racing a million miles an hour. Shika vaguely thought that, given the turn those thoughts had taken, he preferred the loop. 

_'How well do I know my parents' _he thought, confused and dismayed. _'Not as Mom and Dad, but as people? What do I know about their interests, their hobbies? Anything outside of the 'parent' role? I know… I know that they're shinobi. I know that Dad goes drinking sometimes with Inoichi-san and Chouza-san. And… and…' _Those brown eyes narrowed in thought, and then widened again in pained realization. _'And that's all' _he thought, nearly numb again. _'Do I know them as well as I thought I did? As well as I need to? …as well as Kisa knew hers? …do I know them at all?' _

He wished he could ask his father what to do, wished he could run to the man and pour out all his problems and fears like he did as a younger child. It hurt, to be unsure of his own family. But his parents were gone more than they were home, and with the cost of trusting the wrong person… Shikamaru wrapped his arms around his legs, burying his face in his knees as he finally allowed the emotions he'd been keeping inside to surface.

Alone in his room, doubt and death consuming his mind, the child trembled uncontrollably.


	6. Aggravation

**A/N:** Finally back. Nothing much really _happens_ in this one, but it's one of the last 'set up' chapters before the action starts. So… thank you to all of you who read this so far, and even more to those of you who reviewed: **QuietInsomniac, NinjaTeddy, DarkRavie, jolteonforever, Willow-Bee the Cat, Maya, tiggerpal07, ForeversNobody, Linnorria, grey-shadow-horse, Seventh Seed, Rangerfan58, The Laughing Phoenix, Taryn Streambattle, **and **InsaneNoBaka.**

Special thanks to: **WhyMustIWrite** and **Tara La'Quinn** who mailed me, worried b/c I hadn't updated. It gave me the kick in the bottom that I needed to get _off_ of said body part.

Anyway, I still don't own Naruto, this is still AU, and there is still violence and language. And this one is set in the **present**.

* * *

Blue eyes shone with barely suppressed excitement as the blond pre-teen crept forward. Naruto _knew_ he was going to get in trouble for this, _knew_ that Iruka-Sensei would yell and that his classmates – not so friendly anymore as they grew older – would make him _pay_ for it. But he also knew something else – it would _s__**o**_ be worth it.

The blond faded into the lengthening shadows cast by the afternoon light as he moved silently towards the small knot of Academy students still gathered around the swing set. Everyone else had gone home – even Sasuke – but Naruto and this little group remained.

Mischievous smile twitching at his lips, his motions slowed, almost slinking as he edged ever closer. Putting every ounce of stealth he'd ever learned in all his years of pranking to use, the boy finally ducked behind the nearest tree. Keeping his breath slow and steady, Naruto was just about to spring his trap, the taut wires low on the ground ready and able to sling their paint-loaded projectiles at his targets, when… he paused.

Head tipping lightly to one side, he focused his senses as one of the students' voices caught his attention. "Sensei is counting on us, Denai; the tournament can't work without proctors. It's just Friday night – surely you can get your parents to let you out."

_'Tournament?' _Naruto thought, intrigued. _"Iruka-sensei hasn't said anything about a tournament to us. But… they're a class ahead, so maybe it's a fifth-year thing.'_

The student the others were clustered around rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Masaki, it's _**11:30**_ Friday night. My parents are _not_ going to let me stay out that late."

_'11:30 huh?_ _Heh, bet I could crash it… I know! I could get Sasuke, and we could show them all the stuff we've been working on on our own. We'd blow them all out of the water, maybe even graduate early! …how cool would that be?_'

Tuning the others out now, Naruto ignored when the third student spoke up, hands held in a placating gesture between the blond girl and the brunet boy. "Denai, maybe you can spend the night with me? My dad is on a mission, and he shouldn't be back until Monday."

Slipping away from the group, their voices quickly faded into indistinct murmurs. A different kind of excitement bleeding into his grin, the blond gave a soft, precise flick of his wrist, jarring his wire off of its' temporary post, disarming the trap. Naruto barely managed to hold in his snickers until he was out of earshot as his prankster mind filled with the images of shock and dismay he was sure he'd see when he and Sasuke dropped into their gathering.

Literally, if Naruto had anything to say about it…

* * *

Deep, rumbling laughter sounded across the table, the five gathered around it in relatively good spirits. Yoshino rolled her eyes at her husband as he mock scowled at Chouza, but the redhead only laughed again. At the big man's side, Chouji chuckled around his bite of pork. Even Shikamaru smiled a little, and it warmed the volatile kunoichi's heart to see it. Shikamaru was always so serious…

As the men bantered lightly across their meal, Yoshino watched the two boys as they held their own, quieter discussion. They hadn't spent as much time together in recent years as they had when they were very young, and she could tell that they had both missed it. Chouji's smile was brighter than she had seen it in years, and Shika's softer expression held an oddly adult fondness. Perhaps she and Shikaku had made a mistake, sending their son to the Academy early. The boy seemed older, more mature than his friend, and it showed in unmistakable, if little ways.

As the adults caught up on recent events – meaning the last two weeks since the men had last been out drinking – she noticed that Shika's attention was split. Most of it was on his friend, but a fair portion was centered on the other conversation at the table._ 'Typical' _she thought with fond resignation. _'He always has to know, doesn't he?'_

Chouji leaned over, tapping Shikamaru's arm to catch his attention before launching into an excited explanation of how an aunt, traveling abroad for some years, was due back tonight. The family was throwing a party, and he wanted his best friend in attendance. There was going to be music, and games, and – of course – lots of food. Yoshino hid her smile – she and Shikaku already knew, hence the early, light supper – and they had given permission for Shikamaru to attend. Though they were still going to make him ask for it, of course.

But Shikamaru's smile faded, and he shook his head. "Can't." he muttered. In the silence that followed, lightly calloused fingers drummed slowly on the table. "May I be excused?" Four pairs of eyes were locked on to the speaker. Shikamaru just met their collective gaze and calmly raised one brow. "Homework. Due tomorrow."

Yoshino sighed. "It's due tomorrow? When was it assigned?"

"Last week."

"And you haven't started it yet, have you?" The eleven year old didn't bother to respond. A nod from his father and the boy politely made his apologies to their guests and exited the table.

Yoshino sighed again and spoke under her breath. "How that boy expects to graduate this spring I don't know."

The comment was obviously not meant to be heard, but it was, because Chouza laughed. "Ha, our fathers used to say the same thing about Shikaku – then we all said that he'd be a Chunin forever, because he'd never bother to test for Jounin."

The man in question rolled dark brown eyes. "And why" he asked, his voice mock-bored "would I have wanted to be a Jounin? The pay isn't good enough for all the trouble you have to go through. And if you remember, I _didn't_ test – I got a battlefield promotion."

As his wife and friend laughed, Shikaku looked down the hall after his son. Something in the boy's eyes had seemed… off.

(-)

Truth be told, Shikamaru's homework had been done the day it was assigned – not that anyone needed to know that. But he did have work to do. Work with much bigger consequences than a bad grade. Kiba had heard some unsettling rumors about a 'recruitment drive' for the younger classes, and he needed to figure out a way to have them watched without anyone getting caught. Needed to make sure that nothing happened to the kids.

Locking his door in what had become an automatic reflex, Shika pulled out his maps and syllabus. School was the most dangerous place in the Village for his 'family', he thought wearily. They were there, around the same people, five days a week – and sometimes during the weekend if there were special exercises. They couldn't afford the kind of minor slip-ups that could be overlooked by someone who didn't know them. The smallest mistake, in that viper's den, _would_ be deadly.

* * *

Chouji sighed, absently kicking the rock at his feet as he practically trudged down the street, all of his excitement gone. His father was still back at the Nara's home, but Chouji just couldn't sit there and listen to the adults laugh like everything was okay. It _wasn't!_ Shikamaru had been so _weird_ lately! It had started back when the young genius had first gone off to Academy, but it had been growing steadily worse in the last few years.

Sometimes his friend – Chouji didn't think that they were close enough to qualify as best friends anymore – almost seemed to be _indulging_ him, like a teenager agreeing to play baby games so his little brother would be happy.

It frustrated him, because he couldn't understand, and Shika wouldn't explain. Shikamaru _always_ explained when they were kids – Chouji had lost count of how many times the then-little Nara had tried example after example and explanation after explanation until the rounder boy had understood – but now he wasn't even trying.

And if Chouji asked, Shika would either deny anything was wrong, or just brush it off as 'school stuff'. Yeah, right. If the next year's classes were so hard that _Shikamaru_ had to so much as crack open one book, then Chouji'd give up snacks for a year! So the excuse tonight was exactly that, an excuse. Shikamaru was avoiding him, and he didn't understand why. Had he done something? Offended his friend somehow? What?

Chouji was so caught up in his doubts and depression that he didn't register the sound of the oncoming footsteps – or the grumbling voice that accompanied them – until the creator of said sounds literally walked into him. Both boys stumbled back a step, and Chouji looked up from the street to meet a pair of bright blue eyes. He gave a weak smile and a little wave as he recognized his classmate – most days he even counted Naruto as a friend.

The blond gave him a quick, distracted smile in return as he walked away, but then whipped around to face him again. "Hey, Chou, have you seen Sasuke tonight?"

The brunet thought for a moment, but then shook his head. "No, not since class ended. Having trouble?"

Naruto rocked on his feet for a moment, and then heaved out a huff of air as if he had come to some kind of big decision. "Yeah, his mom said he went out training, but he's not at any of his usual spots. And I _really_ wanted him to crash the tournament with me."

Brown eyes blinked as his mind processed Naruto's rapid-firedelivery, and then blinked again as the words settled in. "Tournament?"

Naruto waved one hand erratically in the air. "Yeah, some fifth year thing, real hush-hush seems like."

Chouji thought about it for a minute, and then a slow smile lit up his face. "So _that's_ why!" He grinned and elaborated when Naruto only blinked at _him_. "I have a friend in the fifth year class, and he just blew me off tonight with a bogus excuse. But this tournament thing… it's probably a pre-testing evaluation, and he probably isn't allowed to tell us lowerclassmen. He's not avoiding me; he's just following the rules!"

Naruto gave a grin of his own as he finally understood. "Ooh, okay. Hey… do _you_ want to come with me tonight? You can cheer for your friend when we crash in!"

Chouji grinned, nodding eagerly. "Yeah, when is it?"

And so the two boys walked together for a ways, sharing thoughts and making plans.


	7. Learning

**A/N:** Don't kill me – this is the last past-focused chapter planned for the story. Starting next chapter, it's all nice, sequential storyline. Thank you to: **x-smith, Koizumi Romi, DarkRavie, QuietInsomniac, Sarcastic Tofu, Tara La'Quinn, Taryn Streambattle, The Laughing Phoenix **and** Maya.**

I still don't own, and this is still rated for language, death and violence.

* * *

_**September, 5 years ago**_

The little boy trudged through the field, struggling with the bucket nearly half as tall as he was. Shikamaru scowled as he hefted the bucket yet another step. "Troublesome" he muttered, huffing his breath as he swung the bucket up and forward for a step. The six year old grumbled under his breath, slanting a glance up at the sky as it began to darken. If he called, he knew that none of his Clansmen would come – he'd been told he'd feed the Eastern Field herd while his parents were away that night. "Good training my foot" he griped.

By the time the deer were fed, true night had fallen. The little boy dragged himself onto the bank of one of the many deep streams running through his Clan's land, plopping down and rolling onto his back. The stars weren't as relaxing as the clouds, but they'd do.

Shika was never entirely sure how long he lay watching the sky – it wasn't unusual for the child to fall asleep. But he was brought back to himself abruptly when his peripheral vision – yet another thing his parents, particularly his mother, insisted on drilling into him – caught something out of place. A red tint to the water swirling softly around the reeds farther down the stream.

Fully awake now, Shikamaru felt his young heart jump in concern – the reeds were just about tall enough to hide a young fawn. Scrambling to his feet, the boy belied his lazy nature as he made his way quickly to the patch of muck and flora. His eyes bugged out, jaw dropping in shock as he saw the source of the redness even now vanishing into the current._ 'That's no deer!'_

Letting out a few words his mother always smacked his father for forgetting to curb in front of him, Shikamaru disregarded the state of his clothes and jumped down into the mud and water, fighting through the thick weeds to reach the figure's side. Letting loose with another few 'adult' words, the boy's hands fluttered uncharacteristically for an instant before he forced his mind back into working order.

"Medic! No, assess, then field aid, _then_ medic!" The boy dropped to his knees beside the blood stained figure, running quick hands and quicker eyes over the limp form of the brunette kunoichi. Finding nothing he could identify as immediately life threatening – though his knowledge of anatomy was more focused on deer than people – the little boy hooked his hands up under the girl's shoulders and struggled to pull her up onto the bank. _'Water'll make the wounds bleed faster'_ he realized.

Panting again from the weight, he cast another quick glance over the shinobi – _'Genin, from her age,'_ – and then forced himself to straighten. "Right" he reminded himself out loud, "home, adult, medic!"

Turning away, Shikamaru had only taken a step before a weak grip wrapped itself around his ankle and he froze in shock. "No" was the soft, painful whisper. Turning wide brown eyes back to his find, he realized that the girl was awake. "No" she repeated, "no medics, no adults!"

Blinking in confusion, he flicked his eyes back to her hitai-ate – yes, that was still Konoha's symbol – before returning his gaze to the pale face dominated by dark eyes over red facial marks. "B-but… _why!_" Shikamaru, for the first time in his life, stuttered, his genius mind completely unable to process the absurd request. Every shinobi in his Clan was out searching for something – probably this girl! – and she _didn't_ want them to find her? What the hell?

His attention was drawn back as the girl groaned, panting herself as she levered herself up onto her elbows, hand falling weakly back to the ground. "Can't… trust them… Please, just… please no…" With a soft sound, the girl fell back, and Shika had to jump to catch her before her head struck the earth.

_'Well… __**now**__ what?'_ he wondered wildly. Utterly confused, but somewhat concerned at the stark fear that had tainted the elder child's voice, Shikamaru chewed on his lip for a moment, and then hunkered down beside the unconscious kunoichi. His fingers fiddled uselessly for an instant, so he linked the tips of them together in a circle while he thought. After a few deep breaths and a short time filled with furious thinking, Shikamaru stood once again. His expression unreadable in the dark, the little boy turned away and vanished into the night.

* * *

In the early morning light, the two shinobi slipped silently into the house – but their posture all but screamed sadness and defeat. One young woman, a particularly early riser, turned away from the stove, eyed the pair and silently poured another two cups of tea. "No luck?" she questioned softly, conscious of both the others asleep in the house and the pair's physical and emotional weariness.

The kunoichi shook her head silently, but Shikaku spoke, his voice low. "We found the boy, he'd had his throat cut – probably never even got a good look at his killer. We never did find the girl – but we found her dogs, and they're covered in her blood. In a way, it's harder to kill a nin-ken than most new Genin, so from the efficiency of the first deaths, the chances that the girl is still alive… They've sent a tracker team ranging out – there are rumors of some particularly violent nuke-nin moving away from Konoha pretty fast – they may well be our killers."

Yoshino finally found her voice, though it was just as soft as her husbands. "Tsume-san… isn't taking it well. She has another child – a son, about our Shika's age – and he was still up when we walked her home. She just scooped the boy up and held him, and… she cried. He was so confused, he kept asking 'what's wrong with momma' and 'where's sister'. No one answered him, but… we _did_ keep him from seeing the puppies' bodies, for whatever that's worth."

At that, Shikaku looked up from the table. "Speaking of boys, where's Shika?"

The civilian woman's lips twitched and she hid her smile behind her teacup as she answered. "He's staying out at the Eastern Field. He said, and I quote: 'It's warm enough, and this way I won't have to get up early and haul feed.' He packed up his sleeping bag, a pillow and a thermos of that beef broth you left out."

All three adults snickered quietly at the idea, so utterly typical of their brilliant, albeit _lazy_, little Heir. Deciding that their son would be well enough – there were certainly enough ANBU inside the gates, and Shika knew how to flare his chakra – the elder two finally got to their bed.

* * *

The first sensation to return was smell. There was a sweet, almost earthy scent in the air around her – though it was marred by the dull coppery scent of old blood.

The second was touch – or more specifically, _pain_. A soft whimper escaped the girl as she tried to move, which brought the second two things to attention. One, she was lying on something only slightly soft, and two… she was, much to her own surprise, alive to _feel_ that pain.

Hazy dark eyes opened slowly, and the young kunoichi looked around at her new location. She spotted what looked like a sleeping bag, awkwardly shoved up under her back before the other half was draped over her. Snug, if not exactly neat, bandages wrapped around her visible wounds and – after a fight to lift one arm – she could smell the tang of some sort of medicinal paste underneath them.

Rough wooden walls and ceiling, smooth wooden shelves with various jars and wraps and who knew what else… and a little boy, sitting on the floor, leaning back against some kind of huge storage bins and sound asleep. As if he could feel her gaze on him, the boy stirred, dark eyes opening slowly.

She watched the little face scrunch up in sleepy confusion, and then light up in surprise and recollection when his eyes passed over her. Pushing himself laboriously to his feet, the child came over and crouched down by her side, studying her with serious, surprisingly intelligent eyes. "Nara Shikamaru" he offered. "You're in one of the supply sheds on my family's land – and it was seriously troublesome to load you on that stupid wheelbarrow and get you here. Now… who are you and why didn't you want me to get an adult?"

Taking a bracing breath, the kunoichi levered herself into a sitting position, wincing at the pain but mildly surprised the boy moved to help her do so. "Inuzuka Hana, and… they'll kill me. At least, some of them will. You see…"

* * *

_**February, 4 years ago**_

He nearly raced his way to school, torn between excitement and guilt. He was happy, on one hand – he'd gotten his puppy this morning! Kiba couldn't _wait_ to show Akamaru off to his friends! But at the same time… he was happy to get out of the house, even though he felt bad for feeling that way. It was just… everything still reminded him of Hana – and he'd caught the sheen, the _scent_ of tears in his mom's eyes when she presented him with his very own nin-ken, even if she hadn't let them fall.

He'd noticed, and couldn't help but remember the funeral he'd attended only months ago – three puppies, and the memory of a surprisingly quiet girl whose body they'd never found. His mom was trying really hard, and she'd pulled herself together for his sake after that first night, but still…

Maybe it was only because he was thinking about her, or maybe it was just a startling similarity, but when the second year's youngest student passed him on the way in, Kiba jerked in surprise. Iruka-Sensei caught him before he could chase the boy, but he cornered him on the playground three days later, unable to brush off that tantalizing encounter.

Snatching the other by his shirt, Kiba ducked around a corner of the Academy building and shoved the slender boy unceremoniously against the wall. Ignoring the boy's slightly outraged cry – as well as the sharp tang of concern, of _fear_ that rose from the upperclassman – Kiba leaned in close, _sniffing_ at the other's arms and torso intently. Eyes widening, the young Inuzuka jerked back, staring in shock and confusion before blurting out his thoughts. "You do! You smell like _her_! Why do you smell like her?"

He didn't notice, but the other boy tensed at his words, the reek of fear growing stronger as the boy muttered. "Her who?"

"Hana! You smell of my sister, Hana!"

Kiba, for what would be one of the few times _ever_, had the dubious pleasure of seeing Shikamaru blanch – right before he lunged forward, clasping a hand over Kiba's mouth. "Not here, not now!" he hissed, eyes wide and darting with sudden energy.

Kiba wrenched the hand away, looking at the other boy in suspicion – but slightly infected by the strength of his fear. "Okay… when?"

The Nara heir sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat as he shrugged. "After school, at the swing set – we'll walk from there."


End file.
